History

The Paris-Henry County Mental Health Center was officially chartered as a not-for-profit community mental health center on the 7th of April, 1970. It was located on the second floor of the old Henry County Health Department, which is now the Paris-Henry County Heritage Center. Ms. Susan Kennon was appointed by the Board of Directors as the center’s first Executive Director and served in that positon for approximately eight years. The Paris-Henry County Mental Health Center remained at the Health Department until 1974, when the center moved to the basement of the Humphrey’s Building.

In I976, the organization moved to 408 Virginia Street, where the Henry County outpatient office still remains today. William T. Davis was appointed a few years later on the 3rd of April, 1978 as the new Executive Director. The Board of Directors completed the process of changing the name to Carey Counseling Center, Inc. in honor of Sybil Carey Covington who donated the property in memory of her parents in 1983. The following year, Robert D. Vaughn was appointed as Executive Director.

Over the next few years, CAREY began to expand, opening up outpatient offices in Gibson (1979) and Carroll (1987), and adult Residential Group Homes in Gibson and Benton Counties (1989). In 1996, the Mobile Crisis Program was established as well as an outpatient office in Benton County. In 1998, CAREY opened its first Independent Living Home in Benton County. As the 2000s began, an outpatient office was established in Obion County (2000), as well as services in Lake County (2001). Herrington Place opened in Benton County June 1st of 2003. Weakley County launched a new outpatient office in 2014.